Many people know the name Andrew Tate and have a vague notion that it's linked to 'bad stuff', e.g. the rise of sexism in schools and the toxic online manosphere – especially off the back of Netflix's recent hit, Adolescence.
But not everyone knows the full details of the crimes that Andrew Tate been accused of – so we're here to break them down in a timeline.
Alongside selling courses that encourage men to view women as their 'property' and to "beat the shit out of" any women who dare to challenge them, Andrew stands accused of sex trafficking multiple women into an online adult webcam business through coercion and threats of violence. He also stands accused of rape, battery and abuse, by multiple women. The allegations come from all over the world, spanning Romania (where he and his brother Tristan Tate currently reside) to America to the United Kingdom.
This is a timeline of Andrew and Tristan Tate's alleged crimes – all of which they have emphatically denied – and what they've been charged with.
A timeline of Andrew Tate's fame and alleged crimes
First, some background: Andrew Tate was born 1 December 1986 in Washington D.C. to an American father, Emory, a chess champion who served in the US Air Force, and a British mother, Eileen, a catering assistant. Following his parents' divorce in 1997, Andrew, along with his brother Tristan and sister Janine, who is now a feminist lawyer, moved to the UK with his mother.
From then on, Andrew was raised in Luton, around 30 miles outside of London, and later embarked on a career in kickboxing.
He won international championships in both 2009 (under the name King Cobra) and 2013, gaining social media clout and interest as a result. Andrew's sporting legacy is part of what allows him to hold such a strong appeal for many men – some of whom will have discovered the darker side of his content while innocently seeking out health, wellness and training tips.
Critics have said Andrew's content is engaging and flagged concerns that the more his audience become exposed to extreme views and acts of violence online, the more normalised they become – and in turn, the more normalised atrocious violence against women and girls seems.
2012: Andrew and Tristan Tate set up an adult webcam business
It's reported that as far back as 2012, the brothers first set up an adult webcam business – for women to create sexual content on, on their behalf. The brothers then allegedly duped multiple women into believing they were in an intimate relationship with either one of them, before isolating them from loved ones, making them fearful for their safety and coercing them into doing sexual acts on the internet for money.
The brothers have denied this, but have openly admitted they encouraged women to create sob stories to lure men in and spend more money on them.
When speaking to The Mirror in 2022, Tristan openly bragged that the webcam circle is "all a big scam" and stated he doesn't feel guilty about tricking men into spending money under false pretences as "no one cares [...] it's their problem not mine".
2016: Andrew Tate is kicked off Big Brother
After just six days, Andrew is removed from Big Brother after homophobic and racist tweets resurfaced and a video showing him hitting a woman with a belt was circulated. Both him and the woman involved later claimed the video was consensual.
Tristan tweeted around this time "Google our dad Emory Tate he was a [Ku Klux] Klan member", in an effort to highlight that he and Andrew are mixed race and therefore his brother's tweets were moot.
2017: Move to Romania
The Tates decide to relocate to Romania, with Andrew claiming the "UK has gone downhill" and that Romania's laws are more lenient regarding allegations of sexual misconduct. Andrew says the slackened laws around sexual assault is "probably 40% of the reason" why he wanted to move, adding "I’m not a f*cking rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free."
Andrew also states around this time, in the wake of the Me Too movement: "If you’re a man living in England or Germany or America or any of the Western world right now, you’ve decided to live in a country where any woman … at any point in the future can destroy your life."
Fans of the Tate brothers praise their 'straight talking' and claim it is an antidote to cancel culture.
2018: Rising influence
Andrew Tate begins to gain further notoriety on social media for advocating toxic masculinity. Statements about women being "property" and tweets stating that women bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted are widely condemned, but also hit the timelines of millions. Andrew's content often contains overt displays of wealth, such as him posing with sports cars or in exotic destinations, which also suckers people in.
2019: Rape case in the UK is dropped
Three British women have a criminal case against Andrew Tate dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service following a four-year investigation; all allege they were raped and trafficked by him. These same women, along with one other, will later go on to file a civil case in 2024.
2021: Hustler's University is launched
Andrew Tate launches a programme designed to teach men financial independence and personal development, marketed with the promise of escaping the so-called "matrix" of traditional employment and societal norms (for a fee of £40 a month). One slogan associated with the course included 'Join us. Amass wealth. Escape Slavery.', according to one Guardian investigation.
The course also encourages boys and men to post controversial takes online in order to go viral and help spread the word of Hustler's University to others, in exchange for a cut of any new sign-up fees. Guidance from the programme included, "What you ideally want is a mix of 60-70% fans and 40-30% haters. You want arguments, you want war."
Later, the courses were rebranded as The Real World, continuing to push similar themes of self-empowerment and financial success.
April 2022: The Tates' house is raided
It's reported that police find a 21-year-old American woman being held in the brothers' Romanian property against her will.
August 2022: Banned by social media
Mainstream social media platforms TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube ban Andrew for breaching content moderation policies, involving hate speech and the promotion of violence.
His platforms being demonetised and shut down see his army of fans claim that Andrew is just one example of an innocent man having his 'freedom of speech' rights revoked by the 'woke media elite', rather than him being someone who once tweeted that women should "bear responsibility" for being raped and made money from videos in which he advocates "beating the shit out of women" who dare to challenge him.
On being banned by the likes of TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, Andrew said: "Banning me only inspires more internet hate mobs and more division. This will become a weapon of attack for different points of view for the foreseeable future."
He also claimed to have been misrepresented online, "If there was as many people cutting up videos like they did mine and those people had a negative agenda, they could make Mickey Mouse look evil, you could make anyone look bad."
October 2022: Andrew Tate announces he has converted to Islam
A video is shared of him praying in a mosque in Dubai with a fellow MMA fighter.
November 2022: Elon Musk reverses the Twitter ban
After Elon Musk buys Twitter and renames it X, he reinstates accounts belonging to many previously banned and harmful influencers, including Andrew Tate, under the guise of allowing free speech (as opposed to the bans being stopping hate speech).
December 2022: Arrests in Romania
Shortly after his X fall out with climate change activist Greta Thunberg, Andrew, his brother Tristan, and two female associates, are detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organised crime ring to exploit women.
Prosecutors in Romania announce there are six women claiming to have been sexually exploited by the Tates and forced to make online porn. Said alleged victims claim the Tates used the 'loverboy method' to lure them in with false promises of love and marriage.
They continue to deny having done anything wrong.
January to June 2023: An investigation gets underway
Romanian authorities seize Tate's assets, including luxury cars, and continue an investigation into his alleged crimes. During this period, in March, the Tates appear in court and are moved from custody to house arrest.
June 2023: Andrew Tate is charged with rape and human trafficking
Romanian prosecutors formally charge the Tates with forming an organised criminal group and with human trafficking offences, involving seven alleged victims who claim they were subjected to forced labour, threats of violence and constant surveillance.
Andrew Tate is also individually charged with rape at this time.
July 2023: The Tates sue a woman in Florida
The Tate brothers file a lawsuit in an attempt to sue a woman in Florida for speaking out against them, branding her allegations of abuse and imprisonment in Romania as defamation. She later countersues and her lawyer, Dani Pinter, tells Cosmopolitan UK that her client's life has been ruined by the ordeal.
"There's still a lot that people need to understand about sexual exploitation, about trafficking, which is that it can involve emotional manipulation and lies," Pinter said. "It’s what the Tate brothers taught, right? They were very good at spotting people with trauma, vulnerabilities, and then they would exploit that."
September 2023: Apple ditches The Real World
The app linked to The Real World course, formerly Hustler's University, is removed from the app store over concerns it encouraged exploitation and was a pyramid scheme.
Andrew's lawyer denied this in a statement: "We unequivocally deny the allegations that ‘The Real World’ app operates as a pyramid scheme or perpetuates harmful techniques aimed at exploiting any individuals, particularly women. The user community, which includes a significant number of women within the 200,000-strong user base, can attest to the positive impact and educational value the app provides."
March 2024: The Tates are again taken into custody in Romania
This time owing to a new European arrest warrant procured by the British authorities, stating that once the Tates' trial in Romania has concluded they will be extradited to the UK in relation to a British case.
May 2024: Four British women file a civil case against Andrew Tate
Andrew Tate is formally served the papers related to the civil case put forward by four British women who accuse him of sexual assault. Three of the women involved were part of the criminal case dismissed by the CPS in 2019. This second attempt sees them seek damages "likely to reach six-figures" – relating to "the assaults, batteries, and infliction of intentional harm" they claim Andrew Tate inflicted upon them between 2013 and 2015.
Horrific details revealed later down the line allege Andrew Tate strangled two of the women so badly they burst blood vessels in their eyes, that he pointed a gun at one and said "You're going to do as I say or there'll be hell to pay", and that he told one woman he was "debating whether or not" to rape her (prior to raping her).
Andrew brands the allegations a "pack of lies" and claims important evidence will have been lost since the alleged crimes took place, meaning he's unable to have a fair trial. His lawyer, Andrew Ford, tells press: "Three of the women bringing the civil action reported that Tate had raped and physically assaulted them to the UK police in 2014/2015. After a four-year investigation, Hertfordshire Police sent the case to the CPS for a charging decision. In 2019, the CPS decided not to prosecute.
"Despite additional evidence, the CPS have declined the women's recent requests to review its decision."
August 2024: A second case opens in Romania
A Tate brothers' spokesperson says police have raided their homes in relation to new allegations, centred on human trafficking and money laundering. Romanian officials, according to the New York Times, confirm they had new search warrants issued over concerns that the Tates had possibly trafficked minors and had sex with an underage person.
The brothers continued to strongly deny any wrongdoing and are placed back under house arrest.
December 2024: An unpaid tax scandal
It's reported that in December 2024, Devon and Cornwall Police in the UK are informed by a court that they can seize more than £2 million in unpaid tax from Andrew and Tristan Tate, connected to £21 million in revenue from an online business.
Andrew says the ruling is "not justice" and labels it a "co-ordinated attack".
February 2025: The Tates fly to America
Following Donald Trump's return to the White House, Andrew and Tristan Tate leave Romania and visit the US, causing the four British women involved in their civil case to express concern that the US President might intervene and help the brothers to evade justice.
March 2025: Andrew Tate's ex-girlfriend alleges violence during sex
Bri Stern, a former girlfriend, files claims of sexual assault and emotional abuse, once the brothers are 'safely' back in Romania. One of Bri's specific allegations is that during his trip to America in March 2025, Andrew strangled her without consent during sex to the point where she thought she would pass out, and that he then beat her during intercourse.
Bri also alleges in her lawsuit that Andrew explicitly threatened her safety during their 10-month relationship on more than one occasion and used the 'loverboy' method to lure her into an abusive relationship.
15 April 2025: A judge says a 2027 trial could be on the cards
In relation to the civil case put forward by four British women, who allege rape and emotional abuse, a judge during a preliminary court hearing suggests a three-week trial could happen in 2027.
Anne Studd, representing the women, said in a written statement that it "is understood to be the first claim where allegations of coercive control have been considered in a civil context of whether that behaviour can amount to intentional infliction of harm".
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
